Hydroponics

Hydroponics is a subset of soilless culture﻿, Hydroponics is a subset of hydroculture and is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral solution only, or in an inert medium, such as perlite or gravel. The nutrients in hydroponics can be from fish waste, normal nutrients, or duck manure.﻿

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The Six Types of Hydroponic Systems

Drip System

Ebb- Flow (Flood & Drain)

N.F.T. (Nutrient Film Technique)

Water Culture

Aeroponics

Wick System

Hydroponics Offers Many Benefits

» Nutrients - Complete control over nutrient balance

» No Yard Needed - Create a hydroponic garden in any indoor space.

» Water-Saving - Hydroponic gardens use up to 2/3 less water.

» Affordable - Get started on a very low budget, and save on any size of project.

» Higher Yields - Hydroponic gardens are far more productive for their size

» Enjoyment - Your success is all but assured with hydroponics.» Relaxing - All gardeners tell you the same thing, it is a relaxing hobby.

» Family Experience - A great way to spend quality family time together.﻿

Advantages of Hydroponic Gardening:

Through hydroponic gardening; plants can be grown anywhere as long as their growth requirements are met.It uses only 1/20th of water compared to traditional (soil based) gardening.It provides a sterile environment for plant production. This technique does not require pesticides, fertilizers and other chemicals, as there’s no chance of damage due to soil-borne diseases or pests.Crops grow two times faster in hydroponic gardening. It provides controlled environment, and yield is doubled leading to more production from same amount of space.It needs 20% of less space in comparison to soil based gardens, as plants with small roots can be grown closer to each other.Run-off in traditional gardening can lead to environment degradation due to high proportion of calcium, phosphorous and potassium content dissolved in it. But in hydroponic systems; water can be reused multiple times leading to water conservation with less expense incurred on it.There’s no-doubt in the fact that hydroponics involves less labor. Upkeep is also minimal.It’s simple to get complete control over nutrient balance by using solutions like Olivia’s Growing Solution.There are no soil setup and testing hassles.Plants grown through this technique are healthy and have better nutritional value. It has been proved that vitamin content is 50% more in hydroponically grown plants as compared to conventional ones.It is easy to harvest in this type of gardening.There are no worries about the changing seasons, as crops can be grown all year round.Hydroponic gardening is amazingly stress-relieving and a relaxing hobby. Moreover it is a great way to spend quality family time.

Disadvantages of Hydroponic Gardening:

Initial set up cost of hydroponic system is high. It requires constant supervision.These gardens can also become susceptible to power outage; in this case plants will dry out. If this ever happens, you have to manually water your garden.Water-based microorganism can be easily introduced.Technical knowledge is required for growing plants through hydroponics.﻿